{"599325":{"#nid":"599325","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Melat Hagos, B.S. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMelat M. Hagos was born in Ethiopia, grew up in Kenya, and moved to the U.S. when she was 11 years old.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter arriving in the U.S., her family did not own a computer, but her mother took her to the local library every day so she could read and find information for homework. \u0026ldquo;This led me to love reading and kept me interested in school,\u0026rdquo; Melat says. \u0026ldquo;I was also lucky to go to a middle school and a high school where I was challenged and uplifted. I became involved in service and science organizations that helped me see the bigger picture of what I was learning and kept me engaged.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile in high school \u0026ndash; at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.chambleehs.dekalb.k12.ga.us\/\u0022\u003EChamblee Charter High School\u003C\/a\u003E, in Chamblee, Georgia \u0026ndash; Melat visited Georgia Tech several times to participate in mentorship programs. During those visits, she realized how much she liked Tech. \u0026ldquo;I also wanted to stay close to home,\u0026rdquo; Melat says, \u0026ldquo;so Tech was top of my list.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt Tech, Melat developed resilience. She has come a long way from the time she felt despair because of a bad grade. She is graduating with a B.S. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and is headed for a job in wildlife conservation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the most important thing you learned at Georgia Tech? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nThe importance of having a support system and asking for help.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen I first started struggling in my classes, I thought I should isolate myself so I can be more focused on the work. I learned the hard way that whatever the problem \u0026ndash; whether academics or mental health \u0026ndash; \u0026nbsp;what helped me most was reaching out even when I was embarrassed or felt vulnerable.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech met my expectations not only in its rigor but also in the expertise and prestige of its professors.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat surprised you most at Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nHow involved alumni are and how willing they are to help \u0026ndash; they have been a great resource for me.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen I first enrolled, I was also surprised by how apathetic some students were about social and political issues. I\u0026rsquo;m glad to see more students using their voices to speak up.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI hope Tech continues to invest in collaborative opportunities that bring together different majors and in community engagement, such as the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EServe-Learn-Sustain\u003C\/a\u003E initiatives. These programs are rewarding. They show how we can use what we learn to have an impact even as students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhich professor(s) or class(es) made a big impact on you?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/winders\u0022\u003EBill Winders\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, started me off on the right foot with his emphasis on remaining critical and inquisitive about accepted norms.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/comfort\u0022\u003EKelly Comfort\u003C\/a\u003E, also an associate professor in Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and faculty director of the Georgia Tech International House (I-House), made me feel at home with her warm spirit and personal stories.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.eas.gatech.edu\/people\/cobb-dr-kim\u0022\u003EKim Cobb\u003C\/a\u003E, one of my favorite professors in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the head of the research lab I worked in, has been an inspiration and a great example of how to be a kick-ass woman in academia and the public sphere.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.eas.gatech.edu\/people\/hartley-dr-dana\u0022\u003EDana Hartley\u003C\/a\u003E, my major advisor, has always been so kind and understanding with me and fellow friends. I\u0026rsquo;m thankful that students have her as a resource and liaison.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your most vivid memory of Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCrying at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kessler_Campanile\u0022\u003Ecampanile\u003C\/a\u003E after finding out I was going to fail a class.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u0026rsquo;m so proud of how far I\u0026rsquo;ve come. Now, I look back on moments like that with a laugh, because as sad as they were, they ultimately made me a better student and person.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat was the most valuable outcome of your participation in experiential learning activities?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nOne of the best decisions I made was to apply to live in I-House. As a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2011\/02\/10\/campus-students-thinkbig-living-learning-communities\u0022\u003EThinkBig community\u003C\/a\u003E, I-House brings together Tech students and exchange students studying abroad at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELiving in I-House helped me see Atlanta, Georgia Tech, and myself in a new light and expanded my perspective of other cultures. I made some amazing friends and now have people to visit all around the world.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI also did undergraduate research in Dr. Kim Cobb\u0026rsquo;s paleoclimate lab, using coral to reconstruct climate change. The undergraduate research experience made academia and research much less intimidating and helped me build relationships with graduate students in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat advice would you give to incoming freshmen at Georgia Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nBe patient with, and kind to, yourself. You\u0026rsquo;re going to grow a lot during your time here, so don\u0026rsquo;t let setbacks define your self-worth.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat would improve the Georgia Tech experience for future students?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nI hope Tech continues to invest in collaborative opportunities that bring together different majors and in community engagement, such as the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EServe-Learn-Sustain\u003C\/a\u003E initiatives. These programs are rewarding. They show how we can use what we learn to have an impact even as students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere are you headed after graduation?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nI will be working at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/wildark.com\/\u0022\u003EWildArk\u003C\/a\u003E, a wildlife conservation organization in Atlanta. Then I hope to attend graduate school to study environmental policy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy time at Georgia Tech taught me to stay resilient, be a process-oriented problem solver, and seek out unlikely opportunities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Advice to new students: Be kind to yourself; don\u2019t let setbacks define your self-worth"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAfter arriving in the U.S., Melat Hagos\u0026#39;s family did not own a computer, but her mother took her to the local library every day so she could read and find information for homework. \u0026ldquo;This led me to love reading and kept me interested in school,\u0026rdquo; she\u0026nbsp;says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Melat M. Hagos was born in Ethiopia, grew up in Kenya, and moved to the U.S. when she was 11 years old. "}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2017-11-30 19:14:32","changed_gmt":"2017-12-04 16:31:14","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2017-12-13T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2017-12-13T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"599324":{"id":"599324","type":"image","title":"Melat Hagos, B.S. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Fall 2017","body":null,"created":"1512069108","gmt_created":"2017-11-30 19:11:48","changed":"1512069108","gmt_changed":"2017-11-30 19:11:48","alt":"","file":{"fid":"228503","name":"MelatHagos.square.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MelatHagos.square.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MelatHagos.square.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":124994,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MelatHagos.square.jpg?itok=BPOWNzXf"}}},"media_ids":["599324"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"EAS"}],"categories":[{"id":"42911","name":"Education"}],"keywords":[{"id":"176345","name":"Fall 2017 Graduates"},{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166926","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"},{"id":"176378","name":"Melat Hagos"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}